This little-known trick lets you track flights directly from Messages on iPhone, iPad, and Mac (2024)

This little-known trick lets you track flights directly from Messages on iPhone, iPad, and Mac (1)

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This little-known trick lets you track flights directly from Messages on iPhone, iPad, and Mac (2)

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Did you know you can track flights directly from Messages on iPhone, iPad, or Mac? It's a neat feature that lets you know when a contact is in the air or when they are due to land.

This is one of the best hidden features in iOS 17 and it's super simple to use, so it's surprising that more people don't know it exists.

Built directly into the Messages app, you get a live flight tracker that sends you live locations of flights, along with details about take-off and landing times. If there's a delay, you can check what's going on and you can even check your departure gate.

With expensive apps like Flighty out there, this first-party option is fantastic for any frequent flier who doesn't want to pay extra to be in control of their travel.

All you need to get started is an airline name and a flight number. From there, you can look up any flights taking off within 24 hours. Note, you can't look up planned flight paths for future days but it's great for flights in the coming hours. It works with any of the best iPhones or iPads as well as your Mac. Here's how to track flights using Messages on an Apple device.

What you'll need

To track flights on Messages you'll need an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Here are the best models currently available:

This little-known trick lets you track flights directly from Messages on iPhone, iPad, and Mac (4)

iPad Air 6 13-inch | $799 $754 at Amazon

With an M2 chip and a 13-inch screen option, the new iPad Air 6 is one of the best iPads available right now. Normally $799, you can pick up the 13-inch model for nearly $50 off at the moment — don't miss out.

This little-known trick lets you track flights directly from Messages on iPhone, iPad, and Mac (5)

13-inch M3 MacBook Air, 256GB | $1,099 $999 at Amazon

The 13-inch M3 MacBook Air is the best Mac for most people and you can currently save $100 at Amazon right now. If you're looking to get work done, this powerhouse is the perfect mix of portability and power.

Track flights on iPhone or iPad

  1. Open the Messages app. Find the conversation where a user has sent you flight information. They'll need to type the Airline Name and Flight Number in succession. In most cases, this also works with the airline abbreviation and number
  2. Tap the Airline Name/Abbreviation and Flight Number in Messages
  3. Choose Preview Flight

That's it. You can now see all of the key details about the flight.

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Track flights on Mac

  1. Open the Messages app. Find the conversation where a user has sent you flight information. They'll need to type the Airline Name and Flight Number in succession. In most cases, this also works with the airline abbreviation and number
  2. Tap the Airline Name/Abbreviation and Flight Number in Messages to bring up the flight information

This little-known trick lets you track flights directly from Messages on iPhone, iPad, and Mac (7)

We love this hidden Messages trick and often use it when flying abroad for a vacation or for work. It's so easy to do and the kind of thing that once you learn about you'll wonder how you got by without it.

With WWDC 2024 and new software like iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 on the horizon, we can't wait to see what else Apple has up its sleeve and the new tricks we'll be able to do come September when the iPhone 16 is released.

This little-known trick lets you track flights directly from Messages on iPhone, iPad, and Mac (8)

John-Anthony Disotto

How To Editor

John-Anthony Disotto is the How To Editor of iMore, ensuring you can get the most from your Apple products and helping fix things when your technology isn’t behaving itself.Living in Scotland, where he worked for Apple as a technician focused on iOS and iPhone repairs at the Genius Bar, John-Anthony has used the Apple ecosystem for over a decade and prides himself in his ability to complete his Apple Watch activity rings.John-Anthony has previously worked in editorial for collectable TCG websites and graduated from The University of Strathclyde where he won the Scottish Student Journalism Award for Website of the Year as Editor-in-Chief of his university paper. He is also an avid film geek, having previously written film reviews and received the Edinburgh International Film Festival Student Critics award in 2019.John-Anthony also loves to tinker with other non-Apple technology and enjoys playing around with game emulation and Linux on his Steam Deck.

In his spare time, John-Anthony can be found watching any sport under the sun from football to darts, taking the term “Lego house” far too literally as he runs out of space to display any more plastic bricks, or chilling on the couch with his French Bulldog, Kermit.

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    This little-known trick lets you track flights directly from Messages on iPhone, iPad, and Mac (2024)

    FAQs

    How to track flights on iPhone Messages? ›

    Tracking flights on iPhone and iPad
    1. Open the Messages app: Begin by opening the Messages app on your iOS device.
    2. Access the flight information: Locate the conversation in which someone has sent you flight information. ...
    3. Preview flight: Tap on the airline name or abbreviation, and the flight number in the message.
    Oct 30, 2023

    How to track flights through iPhone? ›

    On your iPhone's home screen, you'll swipe top to bottom in the middle of the screen. This will pull up the Spotlight menu, and you can easily type in your flight number via the keyboard to see the results in real-time.

    What to text to track a flight? ›

    First, open a new text to yourself or to someone else who may need or want your travel information. Then, just type in the airline and the flight number. You'll notice the text changes to an underlined, clickable link (see photo above).

    How do I get flight info on Apple Messages? ›

    Once iMessage is turned on, you can track a flight by following these steps:
    1. Open the Messages app.
    2. Find the conversation where the flight information was sent.
    3. Tap on the flight number and airline name.
    4. Tap on Preview Flight.
    Sep 2, 2023

    How do I track iPhone messages? ›

    Keep track of messages on iPhone
    1. Open the Messages app on your iPhone.
    2. Open an unread conversation, then tap . Your view of the conversation moves up to the first unread message.

    How to track someone's flight? ›

    People can follow their flight of interest either on a designated flight tracking website or flight following apps. Flight tracker apps are easily downloadable on a tablet, smartphone or Android. These tracking tools are a great stress buster because you are able to have flight information in real time.

    Is there a free flight tracker? ›

    Or point your device at a plane to find out where it's going and what kind of aircraft it is. Download for free today and discover why millions track flights and check their flight status with Flightradar24. Flightradar24 is a free plane tracker app and includes all the above features.

    Which flight tracker is best? ›

    Take Flightradar24 with you wherever you go with the best flight tracker app for iOS and Android. The #1 app in over 150 countries, our plane tracker app lets you follow live air traffic around the world from your mobile device.

    How can I track live flights? ›

    FlightAware is able to track the real-time airline status and location of any commercial flight worldwide.

    How to get flight info by texting? ›

    As a TikTok that recently went viral amassing almost 1 million likes and 8 million views in just a day's time points out, you just have to text yourself your flight number preceded by the airline code (the letters and sometimes numbers before the actual flight number) and you'll get all the info you want without having ...

    Can I text someone who is flying? ›

    To text while flying, you'll need to use a messaging app like WhatsApp, Apple iMessage, WeChat or Facebook Messenger. These "Over The Top" applications don't require a cellular network connection and instead send messages through the internet.

    How do you text messages travel? ›

    When a text message is written, it is transmitted as binary code using a particular frequency of radio waves specific to that user. The signal is received by a nearby cell tower, which then directs the information to be transmitted by another tower near the intended recipient.

    How do you track flights on an iPhone? ›

    How to view flight status on an iPhone
    1. On the home screen of your iPhone, swipe right or down from the top to pull up the search screen. ...
    2. Type the airline and flight number into the search field. ...
    3. You can click on your flight under Flights for more detailed information, including a map of the route the flight will take.
    Dec 26, 2019

    How do you make Messages fly on iMessage? ›

    Animate the message bubble
    1. Open the Messages app on your iPhone.
    2. In a new or existing conversation, type a message or insert an image or link.
    3. Touch and hold. , then tap the gray dots to preview different bubble effects.
    4. Tap to send the message with the effect or. to cancel the effect and return to your message.

    Does iMessage work on flights? ›

    To text while flying, you'll need to use a messaging app like WhatsApp, Apple iMessage, WeChat or Facebook Messenger. These "Over The Top" applications don't require a cellular network connection and instead send messages through the internet.

    How to set up Google flight Alerts on iPhone? ›

    Find tracked flights or turn emails off
    1. Go to Google Flights.
    2. In the top left, tap Menu. Tracked flight prices. To find flights you're tracking, tap a saved route. To turn tracking emails on or off, tap Add notification .
    3. Optional: To stop tracking a route or flight, tap Remove .

    Can you receive texts on flight mode? ›

    You can turn on airplane mode to reduce the amount of power your phone is using. If your battery is running low, you can turn on airplane mode to make it last a bit longer (but you won't be able to make or receive calls or text messages, or use any data services).

    Does iMessage location work on airplane mode? ›

    Turning on Airplane mode is the easiest way to disable location sharing and those following you on iMessage won't immediately be notified. Just so you know, putting your phone in Airplane mode will disable all networking features, including phone functionality.

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